The Book Vixen 2010 Survey Results

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to fill out the survey. As my way of saying thanks, those who completed the survey got a little incentive. I purposely allowed people to fill it out anonymously because I wanted the cold, hard truth. I truly appreciate all the feedback I received. So again, Thank You! I’ve already started on some changes :)

And for those of you who are interested, here are the results (grab a cup of coffee and a snack cause this is a long post):

Site Layout and Content

Is TBV easy to navigate and user friendly?

• Yes – 91%
• No – 9%

Do you like the layout/design?

• Yes – 78%
• No – 22%

I get quite a few emails from people wanting to know who designed my blog – Rachel from Parajunkee's Designs designed it and I absolutely love it! If you’re looking to do a blog makeover, or if you just need a header/avatar/blog button, I highly recommend you check out her work.

Do you find the content in the sidebars interesting/helpful?

I formulated this question the wrong way – I left a comment box for people to write their answer. I should have had a ‘yes’ and ‘no’ box with an additional box for comments. The majority of the answers were comments instead of a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers so I was not able to get an accurate percentage. A lot of people said the sidebars are too busy and I totally agree. I went a little overboard. I’m going to do a major overhaul on the sidebars.

Do you want the ‘Coming Up Soon’ widget brought back?

• Yes, bring it back – 31%
• No, leave it out – 13%
• Don’t mind either way – 56%

I am bringing back the ‘Coming Up Soon’ widget.

Do you like the ‘Recent Posts’ widget?

• Yes, keep it – 49%
• No, get rid of it – 22%
• Don’t mind either way – 29%

I’m on the fence about the ‘Recent Posts’ widget. I’m probably going to get rid of it.

Do you like to see the Reading Challenges that I’m participating in in the sidebar or on a separate page?

• Leave them in the sidebar – 31%
• Move them to their own page – 20%
• Don’t mind either way – 49%

I’m either going to remove the images and keep the progress bars on the sidebar or I’ll move them to their own page.

Do you find the ‘Contest/Giveaway’ section in the sidebar resourceful?

• Yes, keep it – 87%
• No, get rid of it – 0%
• Don’t mind either way – 13%

As long as people want me to list their giveaways, I’ll keep doing this. I love to help spread the word.

Book Reviews

Do you enjoy reading the reviews on TBV?

• Yes – 91%
• No – 9%

How many reviews would you like to see on TBV on a weekly basis?

• 1-2 reviews – 47%
• 3-4 reviews – 47%
• 5-6 reviews – 7%

I am going to aim to post 2-3 reviews per week.

Do you find the reviews on TBV…? (Note: The percentages will add up to more than 100 because people were allowed to select more than one choice. The calculations are based on how many people completed the survey.)

• Helpful – 71%
• Honest – 82%
• Well written – 64%
• Boring – 0%
• Not opinionated enough – 7%
• Too long – 2%
• Too short – 13%
• Just the right length – 56%
• Other – 1% (other answers included: “fun”, “interesting” and “a little fluffy”)

Do you like the current TBV review format?

• Yes – 84%
• No – 16%

I was thinking about changing this but since majority of the people who filled out the survey like the current formant, I’m going to keep it the same.

Do you want TBV to summarize the book in the review? (Note: I added in this question after the survey went live.)

• Yes, summarize the book a bit – 45%
• No, just use the book blurb – 55%

I’m going to use just the book blurb. I’m always afraid that I’ll give too much away.

What book-related information (besides the 'title' and 'author') would you like to see in The Book Vixen's reviews? (Note: The percentages will add up to more than 100 because people were allowed to select more than one choice. The calculations are based on how many people completed the survey.)

• Format (i.e. paperback, hardcover, eBook) – 31%
• Number of pages (for print copies only) – 36%
• Genre – 56%
• Source (i.e where I got the book from) – 31%
• Published date and publisher – 36%
• Amazon link – 31%
• The Book Depository link – 22%
• Goodreads link (current review do NOT have this – would you like to see it on reviews?) – 36%
• Other – 1% (other answers included: “alternate bookstores” and “series info”)

I’m dropping The Book Depository link from my reviews. The affiliate program isn’t working out for me. I will continue to use Amazon purchase links (unless they piss me off again and I end up boycotting them again). Seems like people would like a link to the book on Goodreads, which I can totally relate to, so I’m thinking about adding that in.

What author-related information would you like to see in TBV’s reviews? (Note: The percentages will add up to more than 100 because people were allowed to select more than one choice. The calculations are based on how many people completed the survey.)

• Website link – 53%
• Blog link – 33%
• Twitter link – 13%
• Facebook link – 4%
• All of the above – 24%

I think I’m just going to make it easier on myself and just link to the author’s website. You can usually find out their online hang outs from there.

Other Content

Do you want to see more Author Interviews and Guest Posts on TBV?

• Yes – 62%
• No – 38%

Are there enough Contests/Giveaways on TBV?

• Enough – 82%
• Too many – 4%
• Too little – 13%

Would you like to see a ‘weekly’ or ‘monthly’ wrap-up on TBV?

• Weekly wrap-up post – 9%
• Monthly wrap-up – 42%
• Both – 7%
• Neither – 42%

I’m thinking about doing a ‘monthly’ wrap-up post. I enjoy reading these types of posts to see if there’s anything I've might have missed out on.

Would you like to see more ‘discussion’ type posts on TBV?

• Yes – 69%
• No – 31%

I shall try to post more discussion type posts. I think they’re fun and engaging.

 

*If you read this entire post and made it all the way to the end, you totally deserve a cookie!